Gaussian Splatting in Unreal Engine

This guide explains how to load and render Gaussian Splatting models from Splatware inside Unreal Engine 5. Using the XScene-UEPlugin by XVERSE, you can view, manipulate, and render 3DGS scenes in real time.

Supported Unreal versions: UE 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5.

Requirements

1. Download your PLY from Splatware

Open your trained project on /create and choose Export → PLY. This gives you a local .ply file compatible with the XScene Unreal Plugin.

Download Gaussian Splat PLY

2. Install Unreal Engine 5

Install Unreal Engine 5.2+, 5.3+ or 5.4 using the Epic Games Launcher.

Download Unreal Engine →Unreal Engine 5 Editor

3. Download the XScene UE Plugin

The XScene-UEPlugin is an open-source plugin by XVERSE providing real-time Gaussian Splatting rendering via Niagara.

Open XScene Plugin on GitHub →

Licensed under Apache 2.0 (free to use, modify and redistribute).

Installing Unreal Engine

  • Install UE 5.1 – 5.5 via Epic Games Launcher.
  • Enable the Niagara plugin (required for 3DGS rendering).
  • Create or open an existing UE Blueprint or C++ project.

Installing the XScene UE Plugin

  1. Download the plugin as a ZIP from GitHub.
  2. Unzip the folder UEPlugin/Plugin.
  3. Copy the plugin folder into your Unreal directory:
    C:/Program Files/Epic Games/UE_5.X/Engine/Plugins
  4. Start Unreal Engine.
  5. Go to Edit → Plugins, search for XV3DGS and enable it.
  6. Restart Unreal Engine.
Enable XScene UE Plugin

After restarting, the plugin adds a new window you can open at any time.

Importing a PLY File

Once the plugin is active, open the new window:

Window → Xv3dGS

Inside the panel, choose:

Import PLY File

Select the .ply you downloaded from Splatware. The plugin will automatically generate:

  • Blueprint class (your reusable GS asset)
  • Position texture
  • Quaternion texture
  • Scale texture
  • SH₀ texture (spherical harmonics)
Importing PLY inside UE5 via Xv3dGS

Placing the Gaussian Splat in Your Scene

After the import finishes, you will see a new Blueprint asset representing the complete Gaussian Splatting scene.

  1. Open the Content Browser.
  2. Locate the generated Blueprint class (GS_BP_*).
  3. Drag & drop it into your level.
  4. Press Play — your 3D Gaussian Splat scene now renders in real time.
Drag & drop Blueprint to scene

Unreal Engine automatically handles dynamic lighting, camera movement and Niagara-based rendering.

XScene-UEPlugin Features

The plugin is extremely capable and optimized for modern Gaussian Splatting. Here is an overview:

FeatureDescription
Real-time GS RenderingNiagara-powered splat rendering optimized for high-performance UE5 scenes.
Hybrid RenderingCombine GS with native meshes, lighting and post-processing.
LOD GenerationAutomatic multi-level splat LOD for very large scenes.
Blueprint SupportEvery imported 3DGS scene becomes a reusable Blueprint class.
Model ClippingClip regions or use splats as pure VFX emitters.
Dynamic LightingSupports UE dynamic lights & shadows.
Multiple PLY ImportDrag multiple PLY files at once into the UE content directory.
Supports SH0–SH3Works with models trained up to spherical harmonic degree SH3.

The plugin is actively developed by XVERSE with regular updates for rendering performance, tools and usability.

Supported UE Versions & Notes

  • Fully supports UE 5.1 – UE 5.5
  • Niagara plugin must be enabled
  • Large 3DGS scenes may require strong GPU hardware
  • When importing large PLY files, save your project frequently
  • Real-time rendering behaves differently depending on camera FOV, post-processing and view distance

For additional help, tips, updates and training tools, visit the official XScene documentation on GitHub.